Illinois Search Dogs of McLean County Emergency Management Agency

Illinois Search Dogs (ISD) recently merged its operations with McLean County EMA to further efforts to provide certified Search and Rescue K-9 teams to assist authorized agencies throughout Illinois and neighboring states in locating lost or missing persons in emergencies, including natural and man-made disasters.

EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2012: McLean County Dispatch (METCOM) will now be taking all Emergency Callout Requests. Please call 309-888-5030 to request assistance.

*(Please note, we still only respond to requests from law enforcement or other emergency response agencies.)

Cadaver Dogs

Cadaver dogs are trained to locate the odor of decomposing human remains on land or in the water, ignoring live human scent and animal scent.

Disaster Dogs

Disaster dogs work much in the same way as an area search dog, but they are specifically trained to find live human scent within the context of a disaster.

Area Search Dogs

Area search dogs find people by locating human scent as it travels on the wind.

Trailing Dogs

Trailing dogs will follow the route of a specific person’s scent deposited on the ground as a person moves through an area.

Illinois Search Dogs (ISD) is an all volunteer, not for profit corporation.

ISD has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)3 charitable organization.

All donations are tax deductible and always appreciated. We could not function without the support of public and private donations. To learn more about our specific financial needs and to make a donation, please click HERE.

News and Updates

August 2011 - Illinois Search Dogs and the McLean County Emergency Management Agency are excited to announce a new collaborative partnership. Effective August 1, 2011, the operational aspects of Illinois Search Dogs (ISD) will become part of McLean County Emergency Management Agency (EMA). Read our press release here.
May 2011 - At the request of the Missouri Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Search Dogs went to Joplin Missouri with 5 HRD K9s to assist in the recovery efforts from a devastating tornado.
March 25-April 1, 2011 ISD Team Members Missy Nergard, Joan Brehm, and K9 Sula participated in the First International Jungle Search and Rescue Training in Costa Rica.

Illinois Search Dogs (ISD) is non-profit organization that supports the training of handler/K-9 teams to achieve nationally recognized and accepted certifications for the purpose of assisting in the location of lost or buried victims during emergencies. These K9 resources are deployed under the authority of McLean County Emergency Management Agency to assist in a variety of emergency response situations.

The purpose of Illinois Search Dogs is to support the training of handlers and K-9s for multiple disciplines to respond to a variety of public safety and service needs. Our K9 teams focus on the multiple disciplines that are often required during an emergency response, including area search, trailing, cadaver, water recovery, and disaster K9 teams. Illinois Search Dogs promotes the advancement of K-9 search and rescue skills and improves standards of performance through training and educational programs based on nationally recognized and accepted standards. Illinois Search Dogs also educates emergency response teams and the public on working with K-9 teams.

Illinois Search Dogs knows that it takes more than K-9s and handlers to form a team. We appreciate all those who support our organization in a variety of ways, we could not exist without them. Donations are used to support training activities and educational outreach to ensure that our K9 handlers are able to provide the highest quality services to the emergency response community. To learn more about our supporters, please click here.